Capt.Bob

Hi Ed,
 
While you're out doing spring cleanup, I thought I'd pass along my appreciation of your pin alignment system. I'm just finishing up the forward half & cant frames.  After hand finishing them individually, I decided to double check each as a matched pair. I've gotten much better at sanding to the profile lines, but didn't want to risk a mismatch between port & strb.  The pin holes are 0.024" and I used 0,026" pins for a nice tight fit.  I am very pleased with the results.  Each frame pair fits perfectly without further finishing.  I am really impressed with the capability of your alignment system.  It even makes old guys like me look good.  Setup and installation is going to be my next hurdle.
 
Always look forward to your next post.  Now I have to get after my spring yard work.
 
Bob

Hi Ed,
 
While you're out doing spring cleanup, I thought I'd pass along my appreciation of your pin alignment system. I'm just finishing up the forward half & cant frames.  After hand finishing them individually, I decided to double check each as a matched pair. I've gotten much better at sanding to the profile lines, but didn't want to risk a mismatch between port & strb.  The pin holes are 0.024" and I used 0,026" pins for a nice tight fit.  I am very pleased with the results.  Each frame pair fits perfectly without further finishing.  I am really impressed with the capability of your alignment system.  It even makes old guys like me look good.  Setup and installation is going to be my next hurdle.
 
Always look forward to your next post.  Now I have to get after my spring yard work.
 
Bob

Hi Ed,
 
While you're out doing spring cleanup, I thought I'd pass along my appreciation of your pin alignment system. I'm just finishing up the forward half & cant frames.  After hand finishing them individually, I decided to double check each as a matched pair. I've gotten much better at sanding to the profile lines, but didn't want to risk a mismatch between port & strb.  The pin holes are 0.024" and I used 0,026" pins for a nice tight fit.  I am very pleased with the results.  Each frame pair fits perfectly without further finishing.  I am really impressed with the capability of your alignment system.  It even makes old guys like me look good.  Setup and installation is going to be my next hurdle.
 
Always look forward to your next post.  Now I have to get after my spring yard work.
 
Bob

Hi Ed,
 
While you're out doing spring cleanup, I thought I'd pass along my appreciation of your pin alignment system. I'm just finishing up the forward half & cant frames.  After hand finishing them individually, I decided to double check each as a matched pair. I've gotten much better at sanding to the profile lines, but didn't want to risk a mismatch between port & strb.  The pin holes are 0.024" and I used 0,026" pins for a nice tight fit.  I am very pleased with the results.  Each frame pair fits perfectly without further finishing.  I am really impressed with the capability of your alignment system.  It even makes old guys like me look good.  Setup and installation is going to be my next hurdle.
 
Always look forward to your next post.  Now I have to get after my spring yard work.
 
Bob

Hi Ed,
 
While you're out doing spring cleanup, I thought I'd pass along my appreciation of your pin alignment system. I'm just finishing up the forward half & cant frames.  After hand finishing them individually, I decided to double check each as a matched pair. I've gotten much better at sanding to the profile lines, but didn't want to risk a mismatch between port & strb.  The pin holes are 0.024" and I used 0,026" pins for a nice tight fit.  I am very pleased with the results.  Each frame pair fits perfectly without further finishing.  I am really impressed with the capability of your alignment system.  It even makes old guys like me look good.  Setup and installation is going to be my next hurdle.
 
Always look forward to your next post.  Now I have to get after my spring yard work.
 
Bob

Hi Ed,
 
While you're out doing spring cleanup, I thought I'd pass along my appreciation of your pin alignment system. I'm just finishing up the forward half & cant frames.  After hand finishing them individually, I decided to double check each as a matched pair. I've gotten much better at sanding to the profile lines, but didn't want to risk a mismatch between port & strb.  The pin holes are 0.024" and I used 0,026" pins for a nice tight fit.  I am very pleased with the results.  Each frame pair fits perfectly without further finishing.  I am really impressed with the capability of your alignment system.  It even makes old guys like me look good.  Setup and installation is going to be my next hurdle.
 
Always look forward to your next post.  Now I have to get after my spring yard work.
 
Bob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 158 –Deadeye Chain Plates
 
The deadeye chains (aka chain plates) on ships of this period were iron bar forged at each end with holes to take bolts.  I made these about 1” thick and 2 ½” in width, certainly stronger than the 11” shrouds.  These could have been made by the method used in the last post for the backing plates, namely by soldering tube at the end of a plate then slicing them off.  This would involve a lot of metal sawing and a lot of material wastage on these long pieces.  Also since the lower ends of these are bolted under the backing plates the rounding of the bolt eye need not be absolutely perfect.  The first picture shows the progression followed in forming these after the copper strips were cut to approximate width.
 

 
I used a paper cutter to cut the strips then straightened out the curls by stretching the strips in a vise as was done many months ago with the iron hull strapping.  Pulling these also hardens them, though that hardness is soon lost when they are annealed under the soldering torch.  The strip at the top has been drilled for the lower bolt.  In the center piece the lower eye has been roughly shaped.  At the bottom is the finished piece with its width reduced to the 2 ½” (.035” actual).
 
Before these parts could be sized and assembled with the deadeyes, the length of each chain had to be determined.  The next picture shows the positions of the chains on both starboard main channels being set out with the aid of a string taped at the height of the top on a dummy main mast.
 

 
Notches for the chain plates were then filed out and each plate fitted as shown in the next picture.
 

 
On this channel I set the backing links first, then pinned the chain plate at the bottom, bent the angle at the lower channel as shown. The top edge of the top channel was then marked on the plate, the plate removed and then trimmed to size.  The top of each of these was then crimped with pliers to make flat fore and aft surfaces to seat the iron deadeye straps.  In the next picture one of these straps has been formed around a 16” shroud deadeye.
 

 
The copper wire was wrapped around then crimped at the bottom.  The ends were then filed off square and then flattened with pliers.  On the ship these were bolted through the tops of the chain plates just above the channel.  I entertained the idea of bolting these until confronted with the small size – too small to drill – at least for me.  The next picture shows a strap and chain plate assembly after forming the chain at its position on the fore channel and before silver soldering the pieces together.
 

 
The next picture shows the pieces being soldered using a small propane torch.
 

 
Copper phosphorus solder was used because it blackens well with the liver of sulfur that I use to blacken the copper.  After soldering, these were dropped into a Sparex® solution.  After rinsing the deadeyes were fitted into the ring as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This entire assembly was then dipped in liver of sulfur solution to blacken the copper. 
 
The next picture shows the fore channel with the lower shroud deadeyes installed. 
 

 
These are bolted (nailed) into the 6” thick wale planking with the top bolts in the uppermost wale strake.  All the chains are shown being restrained from unruly behavior by bits of masking tape.  The smaller chain plate forward of the last shroud chain will anchor the eyebolt for the standing end of the upper topsail halyard.  This lighter duty chain has no backing plate and was made from 20-gauge copper wire flattened a bit.  I may replace this with a rectangular bar – like the others but smaller.
 
 The channel capping rails will be added after the remaining chains for other rigging are fitted.  When that is done all the chain plates will be straightened. At present the soft annealed copper on these is a bit deformed from handling. The deadeyes will be aligned neatly at the top later when the ship is rigged.  The last picture shows the main channel after fitting of the six lower shroud chains.
 

 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 155 – Channel Deadeyes 1
 
The next major task on the model is to fit out the channels with deadeyes, chains, bindings and backing (preventer) plates.  You may notice in these posts that some of the terminology diverges from what most of us are used to – namely British RN usage.  I am trying very hard to use 19th Century American terms, gleaned mostly from texts from the period.
 
So, the first step is to make the 16” chain deadeyes for the fore and main mast lower shrouds.  There are 24 of these required at this stage.  For dimensions of this type of rigging component, I am relying largely on James Lees book, unless other specific references can be found.  The deadeye dimensions thus used are thickness slightly larger than half the diameter and holes located at one-half the radius.
 
In the first picture, a square of boxwood has been chucked in the lathe, partially turned to the 16” (.222”) diameter, and rounded at the end.
 

 
I tried Castelo and pear for these but ultimately went with the harder European Boxwood – from a stock of slightly off-color material that I have and designate as Boxwood ‘B’.  This left a minimum of fuzz and chips on the turnings.  The cutter in the picture was rounded on both sides of the center for the 16” deadeye rounding.  The brass stop on the cross-feed lathe rails was used to set the depth of cut.  In the next picture, the rounding on three deadeyes has been cut and the cut point for the fourth located.
 

 
The deadeye thickness was set with the z-axis calibration wheel on the lathe.  After the first three deadeyes are finished and parted off, the cutter will be indexed for the next three from the fourth cut shown.  Three is about the maximum for this unsupported turning.  In the next picture the grooves for the iron bindings (strops) are being cut using another special cutter sized to fit the iron ring.
 

 
These grooves were centered and cut to depth by eye.  The next step was to sand and polish each deadeye before parting as shown in the next picture.
 

 
This was done with sanding and polishing sticks.  The polished deadeye was then parted off as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The last picture shows three parted off deadeyes.
 

 
The nibs left from the parting will be removed in the drilling step – to be described in the next post.
 
 
Ed

Addendum 3 to Volume I
 
This addendum addresses a number of inconsistencies between sidings shown on frame patterns and sidings specified on the List of Dimensions.  As a general rule, the List of Dimensions should be considered the governing source for dimensional data and should be consulted before sizing any pieces.  For convenience, siding dimensions were shown on the patterns.  Placing dimensional data in more than one place is bad practice and usually results in inconsistencies, as it did with a number frame patterns.  These inconsistencies and a few other minor issues have been corrected and revised patterns are attached.  Patterns not included in the attached need no correction.
 
The sidings for cant and half frames given in the List of Dimensions are generalized.  The specific sizes for each of these frames can be taken correctly from the patterns.
 
In virtually all cases, the corrected sidings differ from those on the original patterns by 1 or sometimes 2 inches (.014” to .028” actual).  In most cases the pattern differences resulted from transitions to the reduced sizes at the ends of the hull, being taken at different stations than specified on the List of Dimensions.  Since decisions on where to place these transitions was somewhat arbitrary, since size differences are small, and considering that most of the upper futtocks will be covered by outer planking, some may consider these corrections somewhat academic.  However, this should not be license for inconsistencies in the information.  I for one, consider precision to be important and regret these errors in the original package.  All the addenda will be included on the CD in the next volume.
 
An updated pattern sheet for the bow timbers is also attached.  The original labeled both sides stbd.
 
Ed
1to72 Bow Timbers Patterns.pdf
2f.pdf
17a.pdf
17f.pdf
18a.pdf
19a.pdf
20a.pdf
21a.pdf
22a.pdf
23a.pdf
24a.pdf
25a.pdf
26a.pdf
27a.pdf
27f.pdf
28a.pdf
Aa.pdf
Af.pdf
Ba.pdf
Bf.pdf
Ca.pdf
Da.pdf
Ea.pdf
Ef.pdf
Fa.pdf
Ff.pdf
Ga.pdf
Gf.pdf
Ha.pdf
Hf.pdf
Ja.pdf
Ra.pdf
Rf.pdf
Sa.pdf
Sf.pdf
Ta.pdf
Tf.pdf
Uf.pdf

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 153 – Ship’s Boats 9
 
Well, time is passing quickly and work on YA’s small boats has been going slowly – much too slowly for someone with my temperament, but the end is in sight.  I am sure that many, like me, will be glad to something new after all these small boat pictures.  This post should just about do it.  In the first picture, the last of the small boats, the 22’ cutter that will later hang from quarter davits, is getting its keelson installed.
 

 
Since this boat will be hung upright, the internals will be visible.  In the next picture some grating that will be used for a floor under the stern seats is being assembled on a spacing template.
 

 
The members of this grating are less than 1½” wide (.020”) on <3” spacing, made from Castelo.  The assembled section is shown below, before sizing and framing.
 

 
The grating was made, for the most part, as shown in earlier posts, or perhaps in Naiad posts, using the milling machine for precision and in this case to slit the milled strips without damage.  The grated flooring can be seen in the next picture where one of the thwarts is being installed.
 

 
In the next picture the boat is ready for painting. 
 

 
The missing wales will be added after both they and the hull are painted.  The next picture shows the almost completed boat.
 

 
All that remains is to add the lettering, the oars, the rudder and some iron hardware.
 
I have not been happy with the grated platforms at the helm, seen in earlier posts, so I took the opportunity to replace them with some grating of the smaller size, as shown in the last picture
 
.
 
Ed

Hi Ed,
Your PM account is full.  I left you a note on the book forum.
Bob

Ed,
Thanks for the confirmation.  I've got too much invested to screw things up now.  Also, the background information is always interesting.
Bob

Hello Bob,
 
The siding references are correct.  Webb reduced weight at the ends of the hull by increasing frame separation and reducing the size of framing timbers at the ends of the hull.  On the patterns I reduced the sidings from frame U forward and from Frame 19 aft.   The exact locations of these transitions could be argued, but this was the basis I used for the patterns.  The forward reductions could have actually been started a few frames aft, but I eventually settled on U.  You will also note that half and cant frames are similarly reduced in siding.  The changes in frame separation are noted on the shipway plan drawing.
 
Webb was a bit more innovative than most other builders in designing to resist hogging of the hull.  Whereas more typical designs utilized additional wood mass (sister or multi tiered keelsons for example) to provide strength, Webb reduced structural weight at the ends by reducing timber sizes.  It is said that by this method about 25 tons could be removed, thus reducing the stress that caused deflection in these areas of decreased buoyancy caused narrowness of the clipper hulls.  Not that Webb skimped on timber as with the huge keelson and heavy ceiling members - also the iron strapping.  He originated the use of iron strapping on American ships with Challenge in 1851.  I  believe this was discussed in Chapter 1.
 
I take the terms lower futtocks and first futtocks to be synonymous, but consistent usage would have been better. 
 
Ed

Hi Ed,
Your PM account is full.  I left you a note on the book forum.
Bob

Hi Ed,
Your PM account is full.  I left you a note on the book forum.
Bob

Hi Ed,
Your PM account is full.  I left you a note on the book forum.
Bob

Ed,
I'm getting ready to reside the futtocks on A thru U and ran into a curiosity.  On frame Ua the siding of the lower futtocks is marked 12" instead of 14" and labeled "Lower Futtock" instead of "1st Futtock".  Also, the 3rd and 5th futtocks are marked 10" and 9" respectively as opposes to 12" and 10".  This makes Ua unique.  Are the siding references accurate?
 
Bob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 151 – Ship’s Boats 7
 
Thank you for the comments and likes since the last post.  I am looking forward to completing the work on these small (3 to 4”) long boats!
 
After the last post I made some modifications to the 25’ clinker built cutter.  I took some advice from my good friend Druxey that the lapstrake planking needed to converge to a carvel form as it approached the stem and stern rabbets.  This is well illustrated in his posting on the Greenwich barge.  I applied a cosmetic fix to the installed planking as shown in the first picture to remove the overlapping at the ends.
 

 
The clinker style overlap at the rabbets would cause a complication in sealing and that is probably the reason for bringing the planks flush at those points.  Anyway, because of this, I decided to lapstrake the 4th boat using the correct process.  I had intended to make this carvel planked, but decided I needed to do one more clinker to fully understand the correct planking process.  The next picture shows another view of the current state of the first three boats.
 

 
You will notice that eyebolts have been installed in the skid beams and the boat sterns have been lettered.  The next picture shows the plug for the 4th boat, a 22’ cutter that will be suspended from the starboard quarter davits.
 

 
I reused the 25’ cutter plug as a starting point for this, hence the pinholes.  The plug has been primed in the picture – not very photogenic I’m afraid.  In the next picture the frames have been bent over the plug.
 

 
They of course need to be aligned.  The first step in securing them is shown in the next picture. 
 

 
A temporary guide and holding strip has been nailed to the plug over the frames at the boats topside height.  A hole for an additional nail is being drilled in the picture.  With the frames secured topside the stem piece is being fitted in the next picture.
 

 
This piece was then pinned to the plug and glued to the first few frames.  The keel was then fitted and glued to the frame floors as shown below.
 

 
The last step before planking was to add the stern deadwood as shown below.
 

 
This is glued to the keel.  The connections are all pretty fragile at this point, but the addition of the garboard strakes will strengthen it significantly. 
 
Ed

Yes, Bob, good assumption.  Any drawings I use always go into the books.
 
Ed

Ed,
A very creative process, as usual.  Can I assume that the boat drawings will be included in Volume II?
Bob

Ed,
A very creative process, as usual.  Can I assume that the boat drawings will be included in Volume II?
Bob

Ed,
A very creative process, as usual.  Can I assume that the boat drawings will be included in Volume II?
Bob

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 150 – Ship’s Boats 6
 
In addition to the workhorse longboat(s), clippers carried smaller boats for convenience and for the safety of the crews.  Government regulations had begun to exist to aid in crew and passenger safety.  A variety of different types and sizes were used and it is most likely that boats on a given ship varied over time.  With Young America’s long, 30 year career I am sure there were replacements. I am still pondering the fourth boat, but the third is to be a 25 foot clinker built cutter that will rest inverted on the skid beams outside the longboat on the starboard side.  It is likely that the fourth boat – to be suspended from quarter davits - will be a somewhat smaller cutter.  So, on to the first cutter.
 
In the first picture, the sheer line at the top of the side is being scribed into the partially shaped pine plug.
 

 
The boat pattern can be seen pasted to the block.  This initial shape was formed using the disk sander.  In the next picture the plug has been fully shaped and the area below the topside given a coat of white shellac, sanded and well waxed.
 

 
The frames being formed in this picture are slightly smaller than the longboat frames.  They too, are pear and were left in water overnight before being placed as shown above.  They were about as flexible as string.  The process being used is the same as for the longboats, but thanks to the learning curve, it is still evolving and becoming more efficient.  In the next picture planking is well along.
 

 
Planking began after both halves of all the frames shown were fitted over the plug, the keel assembly installed on them and the topside guide strip nailed over the frames as shown above.  Frames at the ends were added later.
 
The clinker planking requires more work and care than the carvel planking used on the longboats.  First, because the planking lines will be very pronounced even after painting.  Also, the upper edges of each plank need to be beveled to bed the next plank, working up from the bottom.  The next picture shows the first step in that beveling using a paring chisel.
 

 
On the carvel hulls the planks were tapered at the ends to provide fair lines and to conform to the contraction of the planked area at the ends.  The same was done here before beveling the planks as shown above.  After the paring step, a flat file was used to smooth out the bevels along the plank.  The next planks were then overlapped and glued to both the plank above and the frames.  The next picture shows the topside plank above the wale being installed against the guide strip.
 

 
The next picture shows the planking nearing completion.
 

 
In the next picture, the boat has been removed from the plug and some internal members have been added.
 

 
As with the longboats, except for the unplanked boat, the internals are simplified on these upside-down boats.  The last picture shows the cutter in its position on the skid beams.
 

 
In this picture the boat has been given a first coat of white shellac primer, to be followed by the white acrylic.  The wales on this boat – and the one at the top – will then be installed.  The two longboats can then be secured, but this cutter will be left loose to provide access for rigging on the rail below, if needed.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 149 – Ship’s Boats 5
 
As longboat 1 was reaching completion, work progressed on #2.  In the first picture the port side is being planked.
 

 
The starboard side will be left unplanked, in frame.  At this size I am not able to layout the planking strakes or even use a planking gauge as described in earlier posts and in the posts on the POB model.  Instead, I install a full-width plank then trim its edges by eye so the planking lines will be fair and the last plank will just fit below the wale.  The next picture shows the first step in that trimming of an installed plank.
 

 
A paring chisel is being used to taper the plank.  This is followed by final fairing of the plank with a barette file as shown in the next picture.
 

 
Both these pictures show the half frames installed on the deadwood on the opposite side.  All the frames on that side will be left exposed.  The last picture shows the last plank below the wale being glued to the frames on the port side.
 

 
The boat is now ready for removal from the plug for final internal work.  In the next picture that has been done and the keelson is being glued to the frame floors.
 

 
In the next picture one of the bilge ceiling members is being glued to the frames.
 

 
The next picture shows the panel of grating below the stern seats and the supporting clamp for the seats on the near side. 
 

 
This will be the view of the framing and internals of this boat when it is mounted on the skid beams.  The open pear framing has been given an initial cleanup but more work is needed to remove glue remnants and polish up the woodwork.  Still to be added are seats and the mast step.  At this stage the port side of the boat was ready for painting.
 
The next picture shows both longboats positioned on the skid beams.
 

 
Only some minor work remains to be done on these before they can be tied down.  In the meantime work has been progressing on the first of the two cutters.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 148 – Ship’s Boats 4
 
The last picture in Part 147 showed the top plank being glued on to longboat 1 with the channel wale inserted to provide a space for its later installation.  In the first picture the wale has been removed.
 

 
The frames may now be cut down to the top of the side and the boat removed from the plug.  The next picture shows the keelson being glued to the tops of the frame floors.
 

 
The longboats were pretty heavily constructed.  They were working boats that carried supplies or cargo and sometimes even an anchor. Ceiling stringers at the turn of the bilge can be seen in this picture as well as clamps to support the seats.  In the next picture a clamp at the wale height is being glued in after installation of the seats. 
 

 
I tried not to fuss too much with this interior work because the boats will be fixed to the skid beams inverted roughly in the position shown in the next picture.
 

 
The 25’ cutters were secured just outside of the longboats. I expect to tie down spare spars and lower studding sail booms between the longboats.  In this picture the outer planking of longboat 1 has been given a coat of white shellac as a sealer and that has been sanded smooth.  There will be a second shellac seal coat and sanding before the final white gloss acrylic finish.  The channel wales will be the same blue as the cabin roof.
 
All the pin rails visible in this picture have been fitted with their pins.  The blue masking tape was applied to stop the dropping of belaying pins into the hold.  In the next picture both the boat and the two wales have been painted and are ready for final assembly.
 

 
The last picture shows the boat placed on the skid beams.
 

 
Rudder hinges are still required.  Boats were also required to have the ship’s name lettered on the transom and bow.  This may be more than I can manage, but we’ll see.
 
Before mounting the boats I need to check for rigging clearance between the outer boats and the pin rail.  I believe all the lines that belay in the way of the boats go through shroud fairleads so there should be no problem, but it is worth a check.  It may be best to avoid securing these boats until rigging has been belayed below the boats.
 
Ed